Twistity Sports Exclusive: THE RACE IS ON

 
If there has been campaigning, we didn’t see any ads on TV. Perhaps it has all been done quietly, and with some propriety.

The election? It’s for commissioner of Major League Baseball. Thirty team owners get a vote and the winning candidate must earn 23 of those. The fun begins in Baltimore on Thursday when the owners meet. It might end there (the election, not the fun) and it might not. Politics gets weird at every level.

 
The favorite to replace Bud Selig, who retires in January after 22 years as commish, is Rob Manfred, MLB’s chief operating officer. Manfred has worked extensively with the drug testing program and in labor relations and has been with MLB on a full-time basis since 1998.

Sounds easy, right? Just like the NBA, replacing David Stern with Adam Silver, who toiled by his side for so long. But nooooo…

Tom Werner, one of the Boston Red Sox’ owners, has ideas of his own and the backing of some of his comrades. Werner is viewed as perhaps more of a hawk in labor negotiations than Manfred, and you know where that talk eventually gets to. Werner might not get 23 votes but he would only need eight to stop Manfred’s ascension. Then the deal-making and third candidates, if not fourth or fifth nominees, begins and succession becomes a mess.

Bud Selig seemed an unlikely warrior when he became acting commissioner in 1992 and turned that temporary post into a career. He’s had highs (TV money is pouring in, new stadiums keep getting built) and lows (steroids, a canceled World Series due to labor woes) but the highs beat the lows. Maybe the owners will get lucky again and choose quickly and well.

If not, we’ll look for the attack ads. “Manfred. Bad for baseball.” “Werner. He’s wrong about everything.”

Today’s question: Is baseball about to make big trouble for itself with a protracted fight over the next commissioner? Answers in the comment box, please.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .